Tim Eyman won’t apologize for calling Governor Inslee a ‘lying whore’

Initiative guru Tim Eyman says the dictionary definition was accurate in context when he called Governor Jay Inslee a "lying whore" for his seeming willingness to back newly proposed transportation taxes. (MyNorthwest/File)

Initiative advocate Tim Eyman refuses to apologize for calling Governor Jay Inslee a “lying whore” in an email to supporters.

“I believe that Jay Inslee owes us an apology for running on one platform and now implementing a different one, that I think he should simply keep his promise not raise taxes, not allow any taxes to go up,” Eyman told KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson in a live interview Friday.

The email, sent by Eyman, Spokane City Councilman Mike Fagan and Jack Fagan, was sparked by Inslee’s seeming willingness to support new taxes to pay for a proposed $10 billion transportation package.

“Candidate Inslee repeatedly promised to veto any tax increase. He said no way to higher
transportation taxes in 2013. Inslee said he’d grow jobs to generate more tax revenue. What a
lying whore he turned out to be. In recent weeks, he’s made it clear he’ll sign any tax increase
the Legislature unilaterally imposes. Is there any doubt that Inslee would have lost by a
landslide if he’d been honest about his tax-hiking plans during the campaign?” said the email.

“He’s absolutely said during the campaign we will not be doing any transportation taxes in 2013, and now he he says he’s in favor of transportation taxes in 2013,” Eyman told Dori.

State Republican Party chairman Kirby Wilbur issued a sharp rebuke late Thursday, saying Eyman should apologize.

“There is no question that’s beyond the pale and is uncalled for. No matter what the issue is, it’s uncalled for, and I would condemn such a thing,” Wilbur told the Seattle Times.

“You may say I disagree, or he lied and point that out. But you don’t call him a lying whore,” he added. “He should apologize, no question.”

Eyman made clear in his interview with Dori he has no intention of apologizing, citing the use of the term whore was proper based on the dictionary definition, which defines whore as “a person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.”

But Eyman might not only be overstepping the bounds of civility, Dori argued he’s actually wrong. Inslee spoke with Dori the day before the election and while he vowed not to support most tax increases, he specifically stated he would not oppose transportation taxes.

“It depends what it is, but what I’ve said is we can’t take anything off the table. We’re going to have to figure out some way to finance the completion of the 520 bridge, the Columbia River crossing, 167 in Pierce County, that may be a combination of things,” Inslee said.

“I’m not denying the fact that he may have said different things to different people but I’m saying that over and over and over again he made it pretty darn clear,” Eyman responded. “I think very clearly the people of this state were promised one thing and they’re getting something radically different.”

But Dori said even if Eyman is right, calling Inslee a whore crosses all lines of civil discourse.

“Now everybody is focusing not on Inslee and the massive tax increases, everybody once again is focusing once again on Tim Eyman calling the governor a whore and your message is getting lost in the rhetoric.”

“It’s absolutely unacceptable behavior for people to lie their way into office,” Eyman insisted. “I’m simply trying to highlight the press is giving him a pass not repeatedly bringing it up and highlighting the fact that he’s repeatedly doing things that are different from what he said in the campaign.”